Winnipeg Blue Bombers Become First CFL Team To Sign A Lottery Deal

The CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers are launching the league's "first scratch lottery program" in an "effort to boost revenues," according to Ken Wiebe of the WINNIPEG SUN. The promo features 750,000 C$5 tickets and offers buyers the "opportunity to win one of two [C]$100,000 cash prizes, along with an opportunity to enter an online contest that offers a chance to win merchandise or 12 unique fan experiences." Blue Bombers President & CEO Garth Buchko said, "We've said right from the beginning, from when the stadium was being built, that we needed to generate multiple revenue streams and this is just one of them." Buchko did not disclose the length of the deal with the Manitoba Lotteries, though he said that it "would be ongoing for the foreseeable future" (WINNIPEG SUN, 5/10). Buchko "wouldn't get into specifics on how much money the club stands to raise" with the partnership. He said, "Right now we're not going to announce what that total is. It will be in the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars if we sell out the lottery" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 5/10). A total of 25 NFL teams have had lottery deals in the last three years (THE DAILY).